Thursday, January 16, 2014

Built for the Growth of Kansas

KDOT Secretary Mike King

As the 2014 legislative session slowly ramps up in the
beautifully-renovated Statehouse, I want to briefly tell you about some of the
exciting things going in Kansas transportation. Some of you know my three
priorities as Secretary are safety, economic development and completion of the
T-WORKS transportation program. So I will talk about each in that order.

Safety

In 2013, Kansas recorded a record low number of fatalities.
While that’s certainly a positive, it’s no consolation for the devastated
families and friends of the 349 people who lost their lives. Reducing that
number to zero is my top priority and at the core of everything we do at KDOT.
We will continue to design safety into every road project and educate Kansans as
to how they can protect themselves and their loved ones every time they get
into a car or truck.

Economic development

KDOT projects pay dividends in the short-term and,
literally, lay the groundwork for future economic success. We see that in the
large, multi-year K-18 expansion project between Ogden and Manhattan that
opened a few months ago. It provides the infrastructure to support the growth
of Fort Riley, the future NBAF facility, Kansas State University and the
Manhattan airport. And during construction, more than 170 businesses got work, injecting
money from paychecks into local grocery stores, gas stations and hundreds more
businesses.

While few projects have the huge economic benefit of a K-18,
much smaller KDOT investments also make it possible for businesses to expand
and add employees. McCarty Family Farms in Northwest Kansas and the Newell
Rubbermaid plant in Cowley County are just two businesses that have been able
to expand and add jobs because of KDOT-funded projects that improve transportation
accessibility.

T-WORKS

I’m thrilled to report that we are in the biggest
construction years of the T-WORKS program right now, and we are on track to
deliver the program. The long-awaited $130 million South Lawrence
Trafficway is finally under way! The design-build construction of the $288
million Johnson County Gateway project (I-435/I-35/K-10) starts in a few months.
And this spring, the East Kellogg freeway expansion in Wichita will be under
construction. Since T-WORKS got under way in 2010, much has been accomplished.
Here are a few numbers:

•943
highway projects completed

•7,567
miles improved

•436
bridges repaired/replaced

•$2.1
billion let to construction

Partnership

Finally, I’m
very pleased to tell you that since the 2013 Legislature formalized the partnership
between KDOT and the Kansas Turnpike Authority, innovation teams of
staff from both agencies have identified more than $17 million in savings
through shared resources, project coordination, co-location and more. We have
conducted a Business Roundtable, hosted the first Kansas Transportation Summit
and are organizing a freight advisory committee. We will continue to be
creative and innovative as we build and maintain a transportation system that
is world class. Together, we are one voice for Kansas transportation. And together,
we have forged a partnership that is built for the growth of Kansas.